Last edited 10:33 a.m., July 3, 2013Eighteen months after asking permission to sell alcohol at events, organizers of the Ozark Empire Fair are calling on Springfield City Council to approve the sale of alcohol during one notable end-of-July event.
The Agricultural and Mechanical Society of Springfield, the governing board of the city-owned fairgrounds, which is home to the annual Ozark Empire Fair, said the request is a business move designed to allow the fair to compete with others in the region.
Fair board member Kent Hyde was one of eight speakers who last night called on council to approve the proposal. No members of the public stood opposed to the plans at the public hearing.
Hyde said the board's proposal would allow sales and samples of wine, beer and alcohol from vendors at the E-Plex, alcohol in the grandstand area for concerts and in an invitation-only VIP section.
“We are not going to serve alcohol up and down the midway. We are not going to serve it throughout the fairgrounds. We do not want that. We are not asking for that,” Hyde said. “I know there has been a lot of thought during the years that this is a family event, and it is, but at the same time … our goal really is to serve all of our customers.
“We have people that come and enjoy the fair for all of the events we have, and would they like something to drink when they come enjoy a concert or do other things? Yes, they would."
Aaron Owen, the fairground’s general manager, said many regional fairs including state fairs in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Arkansas already permit alcohol sales.
“We need this modification to assist us in being competitive,” Owen told council members.
Council approved alcohol sales for nonfair events on the premises
last year, in part, because Rock’n Ribs BBQ Festival proposed moving its annual barbecue festival to the fairgrounds. At the time, Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky expressed concern about opening the door to alcohol sales during the fair. The fairgrounds, which had been owned by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board before February 2012, were not permitted to sell alcohol because voters turned down a 2002 proposal to allow alcohol consumption on park property. Rushefsky was absent from last night’s meeting.
Rock’n Ribs Chairman Steve Scott said there were no alcohol-related incidents reported during the Sertoma Clubs’ April fundraising event, which drew an estimated 30,000 visitors.
PFI Western Wear owner Randy Little, who said he has been involved with the fair for years both as a visitor and exhibitor, said the time is right to allow alcohol sales at the fair.
“We’ve got to be competitive,” Little said. “Having concerts like we’re trying to promote and staying competitive, we need to be able to have that economic advantage. It just seems to be the natural thing for us to progress into.”
The proposed amendment to lease terms is scheduled for a vote at the July 15 meeting. This year, the Ozark Empire Fair will run July 25-Aug. 3.[[In-content Ad]]
